so called "kids" shows...

[CTTT]

Big SW fan here. Should shows like Clone Wars, Rebels and Bad Batch be classified as kids shows? Because a lot of adults like these shows as well. And they deal with themes like family, love and loss. I mean, watching Ahsoka reunite with Anakin as Vader was a pretty gripping and emotional moment. And there's been other moments that have been equally captivating. Basically, as I've gone through the shows never at one time did I feel like I was watching an episode of Telletubbies.

[Cyke]

Big SW fan here. Should shows like Clone Wars, Rebels and Bad Batch be classified as kids shows? Because a lot of adults like these shows as well. And they deal with themes like family, love and loss. I mean, watching Ahsoka reunite with Anakin as Vader was a pretty gripping and emotional moment. And there's been other moments that have been equally captivating. Basically, as I've gone through the shows never at one time did I feel like I was watching an episode of Telletubbies.

The class of "kids shows" encompasses a wide range separated by small age groups. That's fine. From Sesame Street to Dragon Ball Z, they're all kids shows but with appropriate age ratings.

But also I should think that as a society, we should be well past the stigma of adults enjoying kids shows anyway. I'm an adult who used to watch Yo Gabba Gabba because of their guest musical acts. I also like Doc McStuffins, and both shows are well under the age range of the Bad Batch. I have friends who either watch it, don't care, or lightly tease me about it, but my enjoyment in these shoes matters more to me than what others may think. And some of the best kids shows have something to offer their youngest intended audiences to the parents watching them, like Infinity Train, Gravity Falls, or Batman: TAS.

For me, kids shows encompasses shows that, yes, are ok for kids, but it's a VENN diagram with overlap of other categories. It doesn't have to be mutually exclusive with most other kinds of media or age groups.

[Castle]

Batman TAS and X-Men TAS were liked by many adults.

[Killerbee911]

Nobody call them kid shows, People call them cartoons which is our word for animated drawings, and because of the American history of the medium those words instantly bring up comedy or kid-related projects. Anime does not have that stigma while being the same thing exact thing because anime cover more genres from early.

I don't think anyone is calling Star Wars a kid show but they will call it a cartoon and cartoons have not completely broken the stigma for many in the general public. You can call adult cartoons or adult animation if you think it will matter but it is going to take a lot of reprogramming still for the masses for cartoons not=kids at quick glance. Anime has done a good job of stopping it but you are going to need a lot more Invincibles and Castlevanias plus a bunch of Into the Spiderverse to change minds.

[CliffHanger2]

For all ages is a better label. Not a lot in these shows will go over a kid's head unless they're very young. But an adult can still watch and see deeper meanings. But yeah outside fans ppl might think these shows are exclusively for kids.

[Tofali]

That is life. There is a subsection of society that will always see cartoons as kid shows and nobody can change that mindset.

[green_garnish]

Big SW fan here. Should shows like Clone Wars, Rebels and Bad Batch be classified as kids shows? Because a lot of adults like these shows as well. And they deal with themes like family, love and loss. I mean, watching Ahsoka reunite with Anakin as Vader was a pretty gripping and emotional moment. And there's been other moments that have been equally captivating. Basically, as I've gone through the shows never at one time did I feel like I was watching an episode of Telletubbies.

A lot of adults watch kids shows because they want to remember being kids.

A lot of adult themes in kids shows resonate with people under 12 because they understand the message of the themes.

[Castle]

For all ages is a better label. Not a lot in these shows will go over a kid's head unless they're very young. But an adult can still watch and see deeper meanings. But yeah outside fans ppl might think these shows are exclusively for kids.

Sadly this was once upon a time a half truth but over the last few years, especially with many disney shows and even movies, they have highlighted too much, that kids are the most important demo, which is now to ultimate excuse to dumb kids shows when not necessary.

Someone just told me, on the marvel phase 4 thread, that what this shows and movies are is just a means to sell toys and that is the perfect example the label has changed from the all ages labels.

Clone Wars, that I give credit, the show was more mature in some places than the star wars prequel trilogy. that My Man Lucas went to fun extreme ways to defend the prequels.



He says star wars is now for 12 year olds. Okay George.

But we know, you could have done more with the Prequels though beyond saying star wars is for 12 year olds anyway. maybe this is the reason some of your fans did not like the prequels since nearly 20 years had passed between episode 6 and episode 1 , meaning the kids were all grown up. eh George?

[Cyke]

I just realized, I've a handful of friends in their 30s that watch Sesame Street. Not because they need to know their ABCs, but because it's one of the most consistent ways to study puppetry (muppetry?) on television. The friends that watch it are comedians and artists in their spare time with their own puppets, so they get to study how the show's puppeteers work. Ditto for the more-older oriented iterations of the Muppet Show.

Someone just told me, on the marvel phase 4 thread, that what this shows and movies are is just a means to sell toys and that is the perfect example the label has changed from the all ages labels.

It's not a recent thing, either. Transformers and GI Joe from the 80s were pop culture juggernauts because their shows were made to sell the toys and the toys kept interest in the cartoons. By contrast, toylines that didn't have cartoons usually failed, cartoons without toylines found themselves without a source of revenue to produce the show, and it was pretty rare to find cartoons without toylines (the 2010s Thundercats cartoon failed because of lack of toys/promotion). This was also why companies would sometimes change up studios in mid-run -- like Hasbro paying out of pocket for all their cartoons, and then outsourced them to cheaper, lower quality studios to cut down on costs.

It doesn't mean a show is necessarily good or bad, but a large chunk of all ages programming is based around merchandise, all across the field. The youtube channel Toy Galaxy is pretty good about showing how toylines performed based on these types of factors from the 70s - 90s.

[babyblob]

I love kids shows. If I enjoy a show I dont get caught up in who it was aimed at.

I used to watch Martha Speaks all the time on PBS. A dog who could talk because they ate alphabet soup? And the other dog Skits? To be honest I watched this show when I was having a really bad day metal health wise and it cheered me up that day. So I started watching it every day and it made me feel better

[CliffHanger2]

Sadly this was once upon a time a half truth but over the last few years, especially with many disney shows and even movies, they have highlighted too much, that kids are the most important demo, which is now to ultimate excuse to dumb kids shows when not necessary.

Someone just told me, on the marvel phase 4 thread, that what this shows and movies are is just a means to sell toys and that is the perfect example the label has changed from the all ages labels.

Clone Wars, that I give credit, the show was more mature in some places than the star wars prequel trilogy. that My Man Lucas went to fun extreme ways to defend the prequels.



He says star wars is now for 12 year olds. Okay George.

But we know, you could have done more with the Prequels though beyond saying star wars is for 12 year olds anyway. maybe this is the reason some of your fans did not like the prequels since nearly 20 years had passed between episode 6 and episode 1 , meaning the kids were all grown up. eh George?

Maybe that was his original intent but the 70s was a very different time and he had less control. 2 different directors for episodes 5,6 and Harrison Ford told him his dialogue was horrible and was changing it on the spot. The prequels were probably more fitting of his original vision.

Funny thing about these shows and movies being toy commercials is that it's Adults buying up all the toys for themselves now lol. Kids are into video games and tik tok.

[Cyke]

Maybe that was his original intent but the 70s was a very different time and he had less control. 2 different directors for episodes 5,6 and Harrison Ford told him his dialogue was horrible and was changing it on the spot. The prequels were probably more fitting of his original vision.

Funny thing about these shows and movies being toy commercials is that it's Adults buying up all the toys for themselves now lol. Kids are into video games and tik tok.

Right. Adult disposable income goes a long way. Modern day Transformers commercials are aimed at kids, but there's a pretty big and dedicated base of adult collectors who have a community of modders, 3d print sculpters, decal artists, painters, etc, or those who simply want to collect to recapture their youth or to even decorate their homes, especially as the mainline toys are getting closer and closer to what the 80s cartoon models looked like at more affordable prices thanks to better engineering.

By the same token, free-to-play or cheap video games and TikTok are way more accessible for children because the cash barrier is a lot smaller.

Sure, these aren't cleanly defined circles and you'll see adults and kids playing in both groups, but as long as there's interest, there's incentive to broaden the appeal as much as possible.

[Jackalope89]

Animaniacs is rather famous (infamous in some circles) for the amount of innuendos and adult jokes it had, especially during their original run.

[Amadeus Arkham]

Dave Filoni was on Good Morning America a few days ago, and admitted that one of core things Lucas thought him about doing Star Wars is that it’s ultimately targeted at kids. I take that to mean, targeted at the kid inside of you, as well as actual kids but there you go.

[Cyke]

I take it to mean, targeted at the kid inside of you, as well as actual kids but there you go.

That's a good way of putting it. I'll use this reasoning from now on.

Likewise, you don't stop playing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing.
--emgo316